PANDORA

by Rebecca Hamilton

  She touched my neck, holding my head steady as she resumed her ministrations. This time, I felt the knife blade press against my chest and drag downward to start rivulets of blood running down my skin. I winced at the sensation, but my eyes closed and my fangs slid down again. Sabrina laughed. “Tell me, Flynn,” she said as she gently pushed me back against the bed and straddled me. “Who else could make you feel this way? Could the wench you wanted to marry do these things to you?”

  I groaned when her tongue slid across the cut she had inflicted. Her fangs scratched against my skin and my hands found the bed sheets, bunching them in my fists. Sabrina continued. “Would she send you to pillars of pleasure you could only fathom in your deepest, darkest dreams? Would she make you into something beyond immortal; beyond a man into something far more than a killer? Would she promise you power beyond your wildest dreams? Answer me that, Flynn.”

  “No,” I said, my voice a husky murmur. “No, she would not.”

  “Why is this?”

  “Because she was mortal.” I arched my back, a loud, drawn-out moan escaping my lips when the knife blade slid across the side of my neck. Sabrina’s tongue dragged across this wound as well. “An adulterous mortal.”

  “And what are mortals?”

  “They are weak and finite.” I felt the darkness encroaching and not only could not stop it, I wished more of it. The tips of my fingers started to slip from the ledge, a chasm of wickedness waiting to swallow me whole. “We are the higher beings.”

  “That’s right, Flynn.” Sabrina lifted her head. I felt her lips brush against mine. “Come and say it, dark son. Say it and my body will be yours.”

  “Speak and I shall act, my Mistress.”

  “I want you to conquer our enemies. I want you to assassinate Robin.”

  “It shall be done as you say.”

  “I want for Peter to die once and for all so that Flynn can come forth and reign in terror with me. I want the blood of the seven covens to fill the streets. I want power. I want you.”

  My lids lifted and a slow, sinister grin crept across my face. My eyes danced with madness and a wild impulse shot poison into my veins as I regarded my venomous mistress. I nodded, the glint in my gaze bearing a form of wickedness even I had never experienced before. “It shall be done as you say, Sabrina.”

  Sabrina laughed and kissed me in a passionate manner. I flipped her onto her back and ripped her shirt open, starting what would be a torrid and fevered coupling between us. With each stitch of clothing rent and each moan rising toward the ceiling, I felt my humanity ebb away. I had come so close to grasping the mortal buried deep within and yet, in that moment, I hungered to be everything Sabrina desired. A cold-blooded killer. A vampire without a conscience. A demon personified. The Devil himself.

  My green eyes blazed as the monster took over, shoving Peter into a cell and binding him with chains. I fell away from the ledge and the chasm loomed deep as I became a terror beyond a mere assassin.

  I became evil incarnate.

  Chapter Twenty

  That night, I sought to the streets and slaughtered like a newborn vampire. The selection of my victims was far more varied than rapists or other degenerates. Rather, I killed out of sport. Their corpses dropped to the ground and I laughed over them before making my way to the next conquest. As much as I disliked them before, it had become a matter of weighing the whole race and finding them wanting. And I was bent on disposing of them one miserable soul at a time.

  In the days following, Sabrina took me as her lover many times over. She gloried over the power I now possessed, desiring it in her presence as much as possible so she could bask in the afterglow. For as ambitious of a woman as she was before, her head now throbbed with megalomania. I found the behavior infectious to the point of emulating it.

  I would ask her constantly when I could make good on assassinating Robin. Sabrina smiled as she ran her nails down my bare chest. “Flynn, I’m certain I could request his ashes right now and you would present them to me on a silver platter. Remember, though, all things are to happen at the right moment. Especially if we are to stake our claim over the other covens.”

  “You speak of the meeting, then?” I asked as I touched the pendant dangling from her neck. It no longer held any power over me. In fact, I found myself reveling in the irony of Sabrina wearing it. “Is this when we are to make our move?”

  “There exists the soul of a conniver within you yet.” She chuckled, drawing herself closer to me as we lay upon her bed. Her eyes met mine in a deliberate manner. “Yes, the meeting. I have a bloodbath in mind, my darling. Robin and I walking in, he seated beside me as if he still belonged there. I will allow them to rail against me as you said they will. Before they can carry out my sentence, though, you will come in and surprise them.”

  “And what shall you have me do then?”

  Sabrina smiled. “I want you to kill them all, my assassin. We will collect their birthrights and rule the city.”

  I smirked deviously. Later, when I retired to my room, her words carried me off to sleep for the day.

  The next evening, I rose and went about the normal tasks of grooming and dressing, strapping my katana to my side before threading my arms through my suit jacket and setting out for the halls of the coven house. Thirsty for more killing, my footsteps felt possessed, as though I walked amongst clouds of darkness raining down blood, the evening mine to drink. I approached the stairs, but stopped the moment another figure ceased her ascent right in front of me.

  “Rose,” I said, my eyes glinting behind my dark spectacles. The blonde-haired vampiress took a half step backward and I stalked forward. Rose’s eyes widened and her back hit the wall. Descending one stair in a menacing manner, I raised my arm and pressed the palm of my hand on the wall next to her head. “I have seen less and less of you these days. Have you ceased enjoying my company?”

  She tilted her chin in defiance, though her eyes told another story. “I will not entertain the bed of a traitor.”

  I leaned closer to her. “Ah, but I have seen the light. In fact, I own the light and keep it in my pocket with all the other trinkets I possess.” My other hand lifted and I delighted in her reaction as I slid my fingertips across her cheek. “Perhaps I will possess you as well, Rose. Would you like to be one of my trinkets?”

  Before she had the chance to issue a response, the hand on her cheek took hold of the base of her throat, pinning her in place. My fangs slid down and nails dug into her skin while Rose gasped. Her hands shot to my arm and began attempting to push me back. “Sabrina has called us upstairs, Flynn,” she said. “Let me go or else she will begin to worry.”

  “Who is ‘us’?”

  “Timothy, you, and me. Timothy was supposed to find you.”

  “Well, he obviously has not, otherwise I would have known what the fuck you were talking about.” Grinning broadly, I tightened my grip. “He fears me. I can smell it every time I pass. Do you fear me yet, Rose? Do you quake when you think of the secrets I can make myself privy to within your mind? The control I have over you now that I can lay your innermost desires out like an open book?”

  Rose clenched her eyes shut. “I fear the monster you’ve become.”

  Her confession provoked me to laugh. I leaned all the closer, finding her ear and whispering, “Thank you for helping to free the demon, sister. Your service shall be repaid tenfold.”

  She attempted to speak, but I pulled away before she could, relinquishing my grip and allowing her to crumple as her knees gave out on her. Her hands found her neck and rubbed it while I slipped a hand into my suit jacket, producing my black, leather gloves. “Get up and compose yourself, woman,” I said as I threaded my fingers into one. “If Sabrina has murder on her mind, we should not keep her waiting.”

  Rose slowly came to a stand, her eyes shooting hate at me. I growled sharply and the action was enough to light a fire beneath her feet. She scurried up the next flight of stairs while I brought up the rear,
smoothing the last glove over my hand before resting it on the banister. Rose neither glanced over her shoulder, nor slowed her pace, but her posture remained rigid and tense. I grinned. ‘Only the beginning, Rose,’ I thought at her. ‘If payback is a bitch, then revenge is a vampire named Flynn.’

  She shuddered in response. I hummed in a satisfied manner. Together, we reached the top of the stairs and strolled toward Sabrina’s penthouse.

  Paul opened the door for us, his eyes lingering on me. I paid him no mind and walked ahead of Rose, into the vestibule and toward the sitting area without any pause. Sabrina appeared in view, sitting on her couch alongside Timothy and holding a glass of red wine in her hand. She smiled when she caught sight of me. “My darling Flynn,” she said. “I see Rose was able to find you. I was just about to send Timothy to locate you.”

  Timothy glanced upward at the mention of his name. His eyes met mine and I saw the same anxiety latent in his gaze that had been present in Rose’s. Had I been able to feed from fear itself, I could have become drunk merely from the way my two older siblings regarded me. I smiled in response, an expression that, judging by his reaction, chilled him to the bone. “Well, a serendipitous thing Rose found me, then,” I said, glancing at Rose. “Is it not, dear sister?”

  Rose ignored me, but finally walked to the opposite side of the room and sat in an empty chair. Sabrina watched her as if noticing the same thing I did. Her eyes read of supremacy and delight when she turned her head back to me. “Sit with us, please,” she said, pointing to the couch in front of her. “We have plans to make.”

  I nodded, strolling to the unoccupied piece of furniture and sliding back into it. One leg lifted and settled on my knee while I leaned my elbow on the arm of the couch, a casual enough pose despite my inner demon’s eagerness to find some manor of corruption to entertain. “What plans are these, darling mistress?”

  “I’ve received word from the council.” Sabrina lifted her chin, turning her head to glance at us all. “They will convene this week. Robin himself delivered the message no more than an hour ago.”

  Unable to control the impulse, I snickered. “Bloody fool.”

  Sabrina’s eyes met mine again. “Oh, quite a fool, but not oblivious.” She raised an eyebrow, her grin fading. “He has noticed your absence and asked if I was keeping you busy. I told him I had several tasks for you.”

  I nodded. “What might I do to assuage Master Robin’s curiosity?”

  “Do nothing. Don’t allow Robin to see you until the meeting and avoid me altogether, lest he become suspicious. We need him to think we are all ignorant of his plans.”

  “Will that be enough?”

  “Oh, I genuinely have a couple of tasks for you.” The grin returned to Sabrina’s face in wicked splendor. “This will at least lend some truth toward you being busy, my assassin. Your black roses and the uproar from the covens will prove it.” She paused. “I assume ending a few troublemakers won’t cause you too much burden, will it?”

  I grinned. “It shall be done as you say.”

  “Excellent.” Sabrina winked at me, but then directed her attention to all three of us when she spoke once more. “My enemies want me dead. Timothy and Rose, you have heard whispers of a conspiracy and Flynn unveiled the treason of the bastard I have called a son. I thought my children trustworthy, but I know better now and look to you three as the only ones I can depend upon. There are those who would, no doubt, embrace the reign of Robin over my house. Charles and Louis converse with him often enough for me to believe Robin has them in mind for leadership, and the rest are just lazy, stupid sheep who follow the direction of the wind.” She nodded her head toward us. “You three are loyal. You have demonstrated your loyalty in being a part of this. I won’t forget it any time soon.”

  Sabrina stood. She began to pace with a lithe and contemplative gait. “In four days, the masters and seconds of every major coven in this area are set to meet at Matthew’s coven in Society Hill. Undoubtedly, the stodgy bastard is still upset at me for having one of his elders disposed of, so I’m certain he finds a delicious irony in hosting my undoing.”

  “A shame he has not liked the roses I left him,” I said.

  Sabrina chuckled. “You taunt him with your roses, Flynn. I’m sure the only reason why he doesn’t want you dead as well has to do with your brother.” Her gaze met mine in a deliberate manner. “I want Matthew to be the first to die.”

  “As you wish, mistress.”

  “Very good.” Her attention shifted back to us all. “Their actions against me are intended to make a point. Anyone who vies for power will be exterminated by the collective will of the covens. I intend to make a counterpoint. That to transgress me will mean the lives of whoever tries to stop me. As the council convenes, I want you all to be waiting in the wings, away from the watchful eye of Matthew’s security. Timothy will help me escape and Rose . . . ” Her eyes shifted to the vampiress. “You are to help slip Flynn past the guards in the front.”

  Sabrina placed her hands on the back of the couch where Timothy sat. This time, I found myself the object of her focus. “My dear Flynn,” she said, “After they begin their charges against me, you will infiltrate the meeting room and start the bloodbath. I want every single elder and master disposed of, trapped like rats and ended like the vermin they are. Arm yourself as heavily as you must. Show no mercy to any, including Robin. He signed his death warrant when he turned his back on me. I want him to join his co-conspirators as nothing more than ash.”

  A slow, sinister grin spread across my face. “Not only shall it be easy, it shall be very satisfying.”

  “For both of us, dark killer.”

  “Indeed.” I paused, perking an eyebrow. “When shall I be needed and what duties do you have for me in the interim?”

  “I will have Rose fetch you when the time is right. Remain close to your room that evening. In the meanwhile, dispose of Vincent of William’s house for me. First, do away with his human slaves over the course of the next two evenings, then kill him the night before the meeting. The pretentious twit is expendable and should make for an easy kill. Remember, we are offering a distraction. Keep your wits sharp.”

  “I always do.” Standing, I walked toward Sabrina and stopped just shy of her. “I shall take my leave, then, and see to your orders.”

  Her eyes rose to meet mine, her body drifting close. Her hand slid against the front of my shirt while I felt her wickedness caress my psyche. “Say it to me, my seer.” Sabrina’s voice lowered to a whisper. “I enjoy hearing those words drift past your lips.”

  I bent enough for our mouths to hover close. “It shall be done as you say, my mistress.”

  Sabrina shut her eyes as I shut mine. A deep, lingering kiss commenced between us, fueled with energy so palpable, I struggled with the impulse to throw her on the couch and fuck her right in front of Rose and Timothy. I heard whispers of their thoughts, which provoked me to grin like a devil as Sabrina pulled away.

  Her fingers toyed at the buttons of my shirt. “When we meet next, on the other side of this debacle, we will have our enemies cowering at our feet.”

  “Yes, we shall.” Offering Rose and Timothy a parting glance, I turned and made my way out of Sabrina’s penthouse, passing Paul once again and feeling the weight of his gaze settle on my back. Power pulsed through me, rousing an infectious temptation to stroll past every member of the coven and lord over them. I suppressed it and descended the stairs, headed for my room.

  Along the way, however, I paused by the door of the one person yet to fear me as pointedly as he should. Chancing an encounter with my older brother to eavesdrop on him, I placed a hand on his door and felt first for his thoughts. When I found no sign of any suspicions he might have harbored as far as I was concerned, I allowed the words he spoke in hushed tones to drift toward my ears.

  “Yes, I pledge my life to you that Flynn will not interfere,” he said. “My brother has committed himself to our cause, just not as a participan
t.”

  “Then how do we know he won’t honor some pledge to Sabrina at the last moment, Michael?” I recognized the voice, even through the minor distortion of the phone held to Robin’s ear, as belonging to Matthew.

  “He’s been made aware of how grossly Sabrina has manipulated him. As I told you before, he still plays the ruse of an assassin so Sabrina doesn’t become suspicious. It will all end once we execute her. He has given me his word.”

  There was a pause on the other line, followed by a sigh. “We are investing a lot in your word because you are an elder, and a trusted one, at that. Please realize, though . . . If you are wrong, I fear it will mean all our deaths that evening. You included.”

  “We won’t die. I promise you. I know my brother well and know what thoughts trouble him. By next week, there will be order amongst the covens again. You’ll see it with your own eyes.”

  A slow, wicked grin curled the corners of my mouth. Turning away from the door, I strolled for my room with an unaffected air. My brother was ignorant of walking into his own grave and while his co-conspirators remained skeptical, they were mice following the Pied Piper’s tune. I settled in to rest that morning, allowing a lingering thought sing me to sleep like a macabre lullaby.

  No, Robin did not know he was to fear me yet, but he would the moment his house of cards came tumbling down around him.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It was as I returned from killing Vincent that she confronted me again.

  “The vampire Flynn,” she said, announcing herself with a mocking tone. I halted what had been a casual stroll, my eyes tracing across the back alley I had been taking for a shortcut, looking for her position. Seeing nothing, I furrowed my brow and spun around to peer behind me.